Cognitive Systems and the Extended Mind

Robert D. Rupert

Description

Cognitive Systems and the Extended Mind surveys philosophical issues raised by the situated movement in cognitive science, that is, the treatment of cognitive phenomena as the joint products of brain, body, and environment. The book focuses primarily on the hypothesis of extended cognition, which asserts that human cognitive processes literally comprise elements beyond the boundary of the human organism. Rupert argues that the only plausible way in which to demarcate cognitions is systems-based: cognitive states or processes are the states of the integrated set of mechanisms and capacities that contribute causally and distinctively to the production of cognitive phenomena--for example, language-use, memory, decision-making, theory construction, and, more importantly, the associated forms of behavior. Rupert argues that this integrated system is most likely to appear within the boundaries of the human organism. He argues that the systems-based view explains the existing successes of cognitive psychology and cognate fields in a way that extended conceptions of cognition do not, and that once the systems-based view has been adopted, it is especially clear how extant arguments in support of the extended view go wrong.

Cognitive Systems and the Extended Mind also examines further aspects of the situated program in cognitive science, including the embedded and embodied approaches to cognition. Rupert asks to what extent the plausible incarnations of these situated views depart from orthodox, computational cognitive science. Here, Rupert focuses on the notions of representation and computation, arguing that the embedded and embodied views do not constitute the radical shifts in perspective they are often claimed to be. Rupert also argues that, properly understood, the embodied view does not offer a new role for the body, different in principle from the one presupposed by orthodox cognitive science.

"Rupert's book is a good read. It is a sustained, systematic, critical examination of the idea that minds are not simply ensconced inside heads, but extend into both bodies and the world beyond the body.... There is much to admire in this book. It is well-structured and well-written, adopting a self-consciously naturalistic perspective on how to understand the mind -- through our best, even if imperfect, empirical sciences in the domain of cognition. By presenting and critiquing a number of explicit arguments for and against the specific views that Rupert considers, Cognitive Systems advances the field."-- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

"Rupert's treatment is a state of the art sustained attack on various forms of the 'extended mind hypothesis'. It is rigorous and challenging, and will be of interest to a quite a large audience of researchers (graduates and above) in philosophy and in cognitive science. Rupert studiously avoids the 'straw men' that populate some recent critiques, and raises deep and sympathetic challenges that go to the core of the program." --Andy Clark, Department of Philosophy, University of Edinburgh

Robert D. Rupert

Author Information

Cognitive Systems and the Extended Mind

Robert D. Rupert

Reviews and Awards

"There's much to be admired in this book, and not much left to be desired. Without sacrificing philosophical rigor or attention to empirical details, Rupert repeatedly brings empirical findings under philosophical scrutiny. From start to finish, he spots enthymematic arguments, and over and over again, he challenges both opponents of the embedded view and those who hold that the rules and representations approach to cognition is outdated and needs to be supplanted. Cogntive Systems demands the attention of everyone who is interested in the nature of cognition. I highly recommend this book." --Minds and Machines

"Rupert's work is impressive both in its scope and its depth. I'll give it the highest praise that I can think to give a book in philosophy: before I read it, I was on the fence about HEC. The book convinced me. It is excellent work, and one that should be read by anyone in the debate." --Journal of Mind and Behavior